Gli eroi di Hogan

What I liked about Hogan's Heroes is perhaps that it did show the Nazis as incompetent but it did so with tongue-in-cheek and also with an out and out finger poking. Werner Klemper was allowed to portray Col. Klink the way he wanted which was totally incompetent....he had stated he would portray him no other way. When you think about it that was a bold move for him back in 1965 as it could have backfired and ruined his career. My favorite character was Sgt. Schultz...I loved the fact that he was such a simple man who liked all people and didn't like being caught up in the situation he was in. The characters were in some ways very complex and they played off of each others strengths which helped the plots along and it also made viewers enjoy the fact that these men were very human and war was as hard for them as it was for those at home.

Most people don't realize that many of the actors who appeared on HH were persecuted by the Nazis in real life. I think that should help to counter the argument that the show trivialized the sufferings of many under the Nazis. Otherwise, why would John Banner, Werner Von Klemperer, Robert Clary, and Leon Askin (General Burkhalter) consent to do the show? I think they took the parts as a sort of revenge against the Nazis who oppressed them. John Banner and Robert Clary were actually inmates in concentration camps. Werner Von Klemperer had to flee Nazi persecution (because his father, the famous conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, Otto, was Jewish). Leon Askin's family were murdered in the Treblinka Death Camp.

I've just heard the British comedian Joe Pasquale being asked to define good comedy and his answer was, tragedy plus time. Hogan's heroes (he said) was one of his inspirations and it reminded me how much I loved this show myself, all those years ago. Who would've thought a Nazi prison camp could be the setting for a comedy series, but it was, and the results were often hilarious. The basic formula is the adversarial daily life between American POWs and their German guards, constantly trying to put one over on each other. The main character was the senior American officer (Colonel Hogan) played by the charismatic Bob Crane who strangely never found fame in any other role and was tragically murdered in Arizona. What gives this show such strength is that the 2 lead Nazis (the overweight Sergeant Schultz & his pompous CO, Colonel Klink) were both played by Jewish actors. John Banner (Schultz) was Austrian and Werner Klemperer (Klink) was German and they both came to America as refugees from the wicked regime in their home countries. How's that for putting a finger up at Hitler! I hope fans of the show will like my own personal "contribution". Hogan's Heroes was a massive success in Britain in 1973/74 and close to where I grew up was a Ministry of Agriculture office. One of the guys who worked there was - literally - the spitting image of John Banner. They could have been twins. This man used to walk to work each day as me and my friends walked to school. As you may know, Schultz' catch-phrase was "I know NOTHING", spoken in a strong German accent and every day this poor guy had to put up with obnoxious kids passing him and muttering " I know NUSSINK." You could tell he knew damn well what was going on, but he would never degrade himself by admitting it :) Sadly I don't think today's "politically correct" climate would smile on a show such as Hogan's heroes, but it IS funny and worth seeing if it's ever shown again.

My grandfather was a survivor of Auschwitz and several other concentration camps. Hogan's Heroes was one of his favorite shows, because it made the Nazis look like buffoons. So to those who complain that Hogan's Heroes is insensitive, I say that there is always room for a little humor.

This remains one of my favorite shows. The acting is great, and it's clear that the actors are having fun with what are admittedly silly story lines.

This is a classic show. I wish we saw more of HH on reruns, but I will be going out to get the DVDs.

I can't see how TV Guide could say that this was one of the all-time worst shows on television. This show was pretty much Mission: Impossible with a laugh track. The crazy schemes that Hogan and his men would think up to thrawt the Nazi war machine were what made this show great. Also, Werner Klemperer will always be loved for his portrayal of the most bumbling officer in television history. But the thing that really made it special was that it was one of the first series to treat an African-American character as an equal to the white characters. Ivan Dixon, who would later go on to become a great director, would often prove to be the smartest member of the cast and perhaps was the most level headed as well. TV Guide needs too look at this show again.